Portland Chamber joins opposition to Measure 118

By Portland Metro Chamber,

The Oregon Secretary of State’s Office assigned a ballot measure number to a massive new tax that will appear on the November ballot. This costly tax on sales, formerly known as Initiative Petition 17, is now officially Measure 118. Measure 118 qualified for the ballot on July 24, following a signature-gathering effort funded by wealthy California activists.

Here are the clear reasons the Chamber has joined the statewide coalition supporting the No on Measure 118 campaign:

• Measure 118 would implement a massive new $6.8 billion tax on sales in Oregon, driving up costs on even staples like food and medicine for Oregon consumers. It also would make Oregon’s businesses less competitive, eroding job growth, harming family farms and local employers across the state.
• If passed by Oregon voters, Measure 118 would impose a 3% tax on businesses with gross Oregon sales over $25 million per year. This measure is essentially a gross receipts tax: taxing sales, not profits – and businesses would be forced to pay the tax regardless of whether they were making a large profit, small profit, or were losing money.
• Measure 118’s tax would apply at every step in the production and selling process. By the time an Oregon product went from raw materials to a manufacturer to a packaging company to a distributor and then to a retailer, it might be taxed five times before it finally reaches the consumer – driving up the cost far more than a typical sales tax.

Defeating Measure 118 rises to the very top of the Portland Metro Chamber’s 2024 election priorities. The campaign to oppose Measure 118 – NO on Measure 118 – is chaired by Angela Wilhelms, president and CEO of our statewide partner, Oregon Business & Industry.

We strongly urge all Chamber members and partners to join the No on Measure 118 coalition and donate to the campaign.

Learn more at NoOnMeasure118.com.